Help! I need to know what food to get.

[HeyJude]

I've been reading thru all of the threads and there is so much information I am overwhelmed. Does anyone have a good diet that I can put my baby on when I bring him home? Just the basics till I get him used to us? He is coming home in about 2 weeks and I would like to have everything ready for him.
What kind of pellets, vegetables and the such. Is this birdie bread premixed or do I have to make it? So on and so on.... Please help!:confused:

[SweetPeasMom]

What are the breeders feeding him/her now? Making drastic changes is not recommended.

[hollybean]

yeah- try to stick with what they are used to. birdie bread can be made at home or you can purchase it in a pre-mixed bag. it's kind of expensive that way so that's why i make my own. as for veggies- almost anything goes. green leafy stuff, carrots, brocoli, kale, spinach, peppers... offer things and see what they like.

some articles i found:
http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/good-table-bird-food.aspx

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/bird-menu-ideas.aspx?cm_sp=InternalClicks-_-RelatedArticles-_-bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/bird-menu-ideas


http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/bird-diet-myths-organic.aspx

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/bird-nutrition-2004-02-25-5708.aspx?cm_sp=InternalClicks-_-RelatedArticles-_-bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/bird-nutrition-2004-02-25-5708

things to ALWAYS avoid: avacado, chocolate, caffine, alcohol, and some people say onions. these are all deadly for a bird.

Another thing to note: one of the articles recomends lean meat. There is a huge debate in the bird world whether animal proteins (meat) is healthy for a bird. I personally do NOT feed my parrotlets any meat. The idea seems very unnatural to me. I could see if I had a pet falcon- but i have a little iddy biddy bird with no talons to speak of. haha. I guess it's always a personal choice.

Good luck.
________
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[Pado]

I agree check with what the breeder is feeding. A lot breeders will even send you home with some - I'd check with them before picking up the bird so you can have what they are feeding available. Then you can slowly introduce what other memeber are feeding if you'd like.

[jodeg]

I agree. The bird shop where I bought my Kiwi has 8 or 10 "dispenser bins" (not sure what they're called, but when a lever is pulled, the food drops out the bottom), in their store, with all kinds and sizes of pellets, dried veggies, fruits, seed, etc. The day I picked her up (2 weeks ago today!) they mixed up a bag of what she had been eating in the nursery. They gave me the "recipe", so when she needs more, they'll know what to include.

They even gave me the toy she had in her cage, no charge! They said she liked it and slept with it every night. I know when it's bedtime (6:15 p.m.) because she nestles herself under this toy -- so I take her to her sleeping cage. The funny thing is, I had bought the same exact toy for her sleeping cage!

Anyway, she did very well on the mix they recommended, and has now branched out to readily eating veggies (took a few days), and yesterday, Bitsy's Birdie Bread!

Also, when I took her to the vet for her wellness exam, about 4 days after I brought her home, she weighed exactly the same (26 grams) as the day I brought her home. The vet was very pleased with this. He says the trauma of bringing a new baby home usually causes a little weight loss.

This turned into a long posting just to say I AGREE -- feed your baby what the breeder has been feeding him/her. :D

[Cottoncandy]

Yes check what they are feeding him first. As for veggies I give him carrots(which he likes to shred), cucumbers,broccoli,bell peppers. As long as its healthy for me I figure its healthy for him(most of the time) I also just tried the birdie bread yesterday and he LOVED it! I ordered mine from parrots,parrots,parrots for $9.95+shipping so its a bit pricie but it makes a lot and he liked it.

[HeyJude]

The breeder emailed me back today. He is feeding him Zupreem pellets to wean him, then it will be up to me to get him to eat all the wonderful things I can give him! At least I know he will start on a fairly good diet and not seeds!
He is sending me a photo of him tonight!:D I can't wait! I think I'm going to name him Azul (spanish for blue), but then again, knowing my husband he will name him something else.:eek:
Thanks for all of your help.

[chapala]

Don't forget that seeds are not evil. They can be a part of a healthy, well-balanced diet. A quality grain/seed mix is fine to meet the high energy needs of the P'lets. Of course, they need the fresh food too, lots of high beta-carotene vegetables, a little fruit, some cooked legumes, and you are well on your way!
Reta

[nar1122]

The breeder emailed me back today. He is feeding him Zupreem pellets to wean him, then it will be up to me to get him to eat all the wonderful things I can give him! At least I know he will start on a fairly good diet and not seeds!
He is sending me a photo of him tonight!:D I can't wait! I think I'm going to name him Azul (spanish for blue), but then again, knowing my husband he will name him something else.:eek:
Thanks for all of your help.

I'm assuming the parrotlet is a blue mutation?

Some people (including me) have heard that pellets can be harmful for mutations, because of something about their internals...
For any bird though, pellets cause birds to be extremely thirsty, and drink excessive amounts of water, which can lead to calcification of the kidneys in later years.

I always suggest feeding a very well-balanced diet, including seeds, some pellets, and plenty of veggies, grains, beans, etc.

[pattypan]

I'd like to echo what Nar1122 said about mutations and pellets. I believe there are some existing threads regarding using pellets as the primary source of nutrition. Indie is a blue mutation and I usually avoid giving him pellets (he doesn't like them anyway!). As long as you'll be ultimately feeding Azul a well-balanced diet (once he's gotten comfortable with the new home on his pellet diet), he should be fine :). And don't get us wrong about the pellets, some members with blues still use pellets in the diet, for treats etc.

[HeyJude]

We have a place near here that custom mixes food for the different birds.
Here are the ingredients in the parrotlet mix. This is all organic too.
PARROTLET MIX
WHITE MILLET
SOFT WHEAT
CANARY
BUCKWHEAT
HEMP
SAFFLOWER
RED MILLET
FINCH MILLET
Do you think this would be a good mix? As well as veggies, birdie bread, and other wonderful food!

[chapala]

That looks like a good mix for a P'let. I would substitute a bit of Sunflower seed for the Safflower, but it's fine the way it is. Both Safflower and Sunflower are very high fat seeds (millet, and wheat are grains and are low fat). They need a bit of good fat though. What is the name of your supplier in case others are interested? And do they ship?
Reta

[nar1122]

And adding to what Pattypan said, there are in fact a few members here who feed pellets sometimes to their mutations.

Every few months, I will give Oscar and Maya some Zupreem Fruit Blend pellets. They don't really like them.

When Oscar was young, I would give him Harrison's pellets every once in a while, and for the first few times, he liked them, but then he quickly got tired of them and would just throw them around his cage :p

So feeding them sparingly is okay. ;)

[HeyJude]

Here is the website for the supplier of the mix. They ship and they have other natural foods as well. www.hermanbros-seed.com

The breeder is weaning him on supreem pellets, so I will slowly change him over to better foods.

Their cockatiel mix looks good too, what do you think?

COCKATIEL #1
WHITE MILLET
STRIPE SUNFLOWER
HULLED OATS
HEMP
BACK

COCKATIEL #2
SAFFLOWER
SOFT WHEAT
BUCKWHEAT
CRACKED CORN
HULLET OATS
PEANUT REJECTS
WHITE MILLET
RED MILLET
BACK

SOAK SEED
RAPE
THISTLE
WHITE MILLET
SOFT WHEAT
CANARY
BUCKWHEAT
HEMP
SAFFLOWER
RED MILLET
FINCH MILLET
BACK

FORTIFIED COCKATIEL #1
WHITE MILLET
RED MILLET
SAFFLOWER
HULLED OATS
BLACK SUNFLOWER
STRIPE SUNFLOWER
CANARY
BUCKWHEAT
BREEDER PELLETS
SAFFLOWER--RED, BLUE, GREEN
BACK

FORTIFIED COCKATIEL #2
WHITE MILLET
RED MILET
SAFFLOWER
HULLED OATS
CANARY
BUCKWHEAT
BREEDER PELLETS
SAFFLOWER--RED, BLUE, GREEN
BACK

[AndreaFahy]

A lot of "pet seeds" are not particularly clean. I would suggest boiling them before feeding to prevent any bacterial or fungal infections from "pet foods"

After several years of working on parrot diet and researching within my ability, this is what we have come up with and have been very pleased.

My percentages are just an approximate guide

(40%) vegetables
(30%) grains, seeds
(15%) beans
(10%) fruits
(5%) other - nuts, supplements, etc.

Use organic, local, seasonal as often as possible. Human grade foods will better ensure long lasting good health. We cook or sprout grains, seeds, beans.

[SweetPeasMom]

I mix Volkmans Parrotlet and Zupreem pellets, then Sweet Pea gets the veggies I have for dinner, wheat toast (she loves to shred this)pasta if we have it for dinner or rice. A slice of apple each morning is put in her cage. If we eat in the den she will come over and inspect my plate to see what she can "steal".

[HeyJude]

I mix Volkmans Parrotlet and Zupreem pellets, then Sweet Pea gets the veggies I have for dinner, wheat toast (she loves to shred this)pasta if we have it for dinner or rice. A slice of apple each morning is put in her cage. If we eat in the den she will come over and inspect my plate to see what she can "steal".

Thats funny, I just came back to ask about Volkmans Parrotlet diet. It looked pretty good to me! I have all the ingredients for birdie bread (except the seed), and I'll make sure I go weekly to the market to get veggies and fruit.
He has weaned him on Zupreem pellets, but I read that pellets are bad for blue parrotlets. I like the ingredients in Volkmans better than the ones in the area.

[chapala]

Andrea, looks like you also are a fan of Feeding Feathers (Yahoo forum) diets! Their recommendations are the best I've seen for feeding our parrots a healthy diet.
Reta

[AndreaFahy]

lol, I visited their group for a short time :) So pleased to see another person that does offer a natural diet!